Allyson Felix On Her Career's New Track, Her Final Race, & Imparting Limitless Self-Worth to Her Daughter
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Running the race — whatever the track or field may look like — is nothing new for Allyson Felix. The most decorated runner in American history has always approached every facet of her life with the same tenacity and verve she developed as an athlete. As the co-founder of Saysh, a company developing sneakers by and for women, Felix is learning new ways to use everything she’s learned to build a more equitable world, and a space where supporting women is the first principle to cross the finish line.
On Aug. 3, Felix spoke on the panel of Footwear News‘ Women Who Rock event in New York City, recollecting — among other topics — the courage she summoned when she spoke out against Nike’s lack of maternity protections during her contract with them (Felix welcomed her daughter, Camryn, in 2018). SheKnows had the privilege of chatting with Felix about what it’s been like navigating this next chapter of her life, her surprise return from retirement, and how she’s grown into the businesswoman she is today before the panel, and the athlete turned entrepreneur’s determination and drive was as inspiring as ever.
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“You’re going to have the bumps in the road, you’re going to have that adversity. I was very familiar with that as an athlete,” she told us. “So I’m excited to bring that to the business world. And to know that, really, it’s about your team and how you’re going to navigate that storm, because it’s definitely going to come.”
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Read on for our full conversation.
SheKnows: You recently ran the 4×400 Women’s Relay for the 2022 World Athletics Championships. How did it feel to be back on the track?
Allyson Felix: It felt really good! It was really fun just to be there and to have World Championships in Oregon. There was just so much love. So I really enjoyed it.
SK: Do you think that you could be persuaded to compete again, in the future?
AF: Absolutely not. [Laughs.] That was it. But I feel really good with it [being my last race]. I’ve had such an enjoyable time; I feel so fulfilled. It was a really amazing, fun way to end [my athletic career]. These days, I’ll be running around with my daughter and doing regular things.
SK: Your daughter, Camryn, was in the stands cheering you on during the race. How did it feel to have her there with you?
AF: It was the best. I think this is the first season where she really understood the cheering and such. She was totally into that, and just watching the races and taking it all in. I think it was just even more special that I was able to end on that note and have her [there] as part of the process.
SK: As an athlete, there are so many skills you’ve developed over the course of your career — determination, endurance, work ethic — how do you feel those qualities can be attributed to this new chapter in your life?
AF: I think really being resilient and just overcoming, in any aspect of life. You’re going to have the bumps in the road, you’re going to have that adversity. I was very familiar with that as an athlete. So I’m excited to bring that to the business world. And to know that, really, it’s about your team and how you’re going to navigate that storm, because it’s definitely going to come.
SK: Are there any new self-care practices you’ve developed as you take this new path in your career?
AF: I think just understanding that rest is not a negative thing. It’s doesn’t mean you’re weak or anything like that. And I think just understanding that it makes you better. We all need to take time to be refreshed, to prioritize ourselves for our own mental health. I think that’s becoming a bit more normal. And I hope that it even has a greater presence in the future. But for me, that’s really been important. And setting aside that time.
SK: What has been the most important recent boundary that you’ve been able to set for yourself?
AF: Even just a boundary like I’m not going to work in the bed. Once I get in bed, I’m not going to pop up with my laptop and do anything else. But really sticking to those boundaries. It’s tough. It’s very easy to break them. But that’s one that I think is a game-changer.
Kreg Holt for Footwear News.
SK: What progress have you seen toward a world that is more equitable in business and athletics?
AF: In the space that I’m in right now, I’m really seeing a bit of a change around maternity policies and paternal policy as well, just as a whole. Seeing that we’re supporting more [maternity protections] and really pushing for that. Obviously, that was really a focus of mine as I was on the track. Bringing that into the business world and making sure that it’s something at our company, Saysh, that we can really be proud of and stand behind and also push for industry-wide as well.
SK: What do you feel is the most important lesson that you can pass on to your daughter Camryn that will stick with her for the rest of her life?
AF: A lot of lessons. One thing that’s really important that I pass along to her is her confidence and her self-worth. I really want to show her a diverse group of people to be around — of women — and that strength looks all different ways. I just really want to build her up so that she feels like she doesn’t have any limits and that she can do whatever that she wants.
Before you go, click here to see Team USA Olympians over the years.
Launch Gallery: From the Archives: Photos of Team USA Olympians Through the Decades
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